116 JOURXEY TO THE SHORES 



our astronomical observations at the ?iouse. He, 

 therefore, informed the leader that he would re- 

 main stationary at Point Lake until the arrival of 

 the whole party, where he might be easily con- 

 sulted if any of his people fell sick, as it was in 

 the neighbourhood of their hunting-grounds. 



On the 2nd the stores were packed up in pro- 

 per-sized bales for the journey. I had intended 

 to send the canoes by the first party, but they 

 were not yet repaired, the weather not being suf- 

 ficiently warm to permit the men to work con- 

 stantly at them, without the hazard of breaking 

 the bark. This day one of the new trading 

 guns, which we had recently received from Fort 

 Chipewyan, burst in the hands of a young Indian ; 

 fortunately, hoWever, without doing him any ma- 

 terial injury. This is the sixth accident of the 

 kind which has occurred to us since our departure 

 from Slave Lake. Surely this deficiency in the 

 quality of the guns, which hazards the lives of so 

 many poor Indians, requires the serious consi- 

 deration of the principals of the trading Com- 

 panies, 



On the 4th, at three in tlie morning, the party 

 under the charge of Dr. Richardson started. It 

 consisted of fifteen voyagers, three of them con- 

 ducting dog-sledges, Baldhead and Basil, two 

 Indian hunters with their wives, Akaiyazzeh a 



